Thursday, November 22nd, 2007

Todd’s is quiet after his surgery. He spent most of the afternoon asleep, but we did enjoy a few of the cards that came from the dinner event, we are moving through them slowly. When Yuksel walked into the room Todd lit up, and he placed his hand on her forearm. A lovely gesture, that clearly you could see, took a great deal of effort. He spoke for his neurosurgeon, Dr. VanFurth, unfortunately I could not hear what he was trying to say. His throat is so dry, his whispers so faint. His coughing remains persistent but less frequent, hopefully his lungs will clear up soon. All wonderful signs, and we hope on Thanksgiving Day he will be feeling stronger. Surgery takes its toll, so we are most patient.
There is another important and surprising development that we did not expect. Todd is off his IV lines and the antibiotics are long gone. This is so great for him, the IV line has to be redone every couple days leaving Todd feeling much like a pin cushion. I have watched them run out of veins on his arms and then move to his feet, only to return to his hands. So both his hands are now free for holding, touching, and free from new puncture wounds. The only external connection Todd has is his nose tube, otherwise he is on his own.

I can not believe that it is Thanksgiving already. I swear it seemed to be in a week or so. At the same time I was aware enough of this coming day to assure I had the lovely company of Yuksel to ward away any potential melancholy. While I love holidays, Thanksgiving has one major favorite for me. Pumpkin pie! I would now begin the ritual of having it for breakfast with my coffee. (sometimes Todd or Annie bring me a few slices for a treat on the weekends! Annie especially likes to give me chocolate treats.….but we all do that for one another for it is fun!) For Todd this period marks the arrival of Beaujolais Nouveau at Kermit Lynch, he always heads on over and buys a case for the holiday season. We never go to a single dinner over the holidays without a bottle of that wine. It is so versatile Todd will always find a reason why it is the perfect pairing. Last year I believe we took a case or 1/2 to Davey and Selby’s for Thanksgiving dinner. It was quite the drama leading up to it because Levon started spreading rumors to Davey that the wine sucked! (Okay, really he expressed that particular wine does not suite his tastes.) Oh man and then the phone calls began, Davey so concerned that we were bringing horrible wine to dinner. (It was to be the featured wine.) In the end it all worked out but there definitely was a bit of anxiety leading up to evening, Todd was completely appalled anyone would find this beloved wine anything but delightful. I believe Davey, unable to completely trust Todd’s choice any longer, ran off and grabbed a couple bottles to ease his nerves. It is important to acknowledge that when Levon had his first glass of Nouveau it was not properly chilled to the optimal temp and that really Levon likes beer, not that he won’t enjoy a good glass of wine, he will, and has with Todd many a time. The evening was delightful, Levon kept us overnight at his house. He made us coffee in the morning and I remember how Todd and I coveted his coffee cups….. then we (three) did that day after walk down to 24th street. I love walking the city streets the day after the holiday, where there is a quiet that is rare, but the quiet is not in your head which is pounding and you are ever so sleepy because we stayed up late into night/morning talking about Levon’s pad! Ahhhh the few sleepy afternoons in the city, how I love them. They can also feel very lonely, those days.
Back to Kermit, when Todd was at Kermit he would take advantage of the early bird pricing and he would choose 2 or 3 bottles of champagne for the celebrations that lie ahead. If we were home, I imagine we would be having two Oaktown Thanksgiving dinners. We would be with the Kooks (who have put a lovely skype group visit together) at Penny’s/ North’s pad, a beautiful 3 story Victorian dubbed the BIG HOUSE, then we would head over to Catherine’s lovely homestead to finish up the stuffing of the two lovebirds! I guarantee you there will be 80’s music at Catherine’s and at both houses a room full of wonderful people. The very kind we miss terribly.

For Thanksgiving here we will go out for fondue and salad… the pumpkin pie will have to wait. We will toast to you all this evening…… and pumpkin pie, holidays, champagne….. and best of all be THANKFUL that Todd has survived this tragic, most serious accident and will continue to do so with such grace.

And now I give you Yuksel.

Hello all,
After being here in the beginning of October, it is really nice to come back and be able to witness recovery. Todd was very very tired and slept most of the day, but it was grand when I arrived, Alex told that part already… but I also saw a smile afterwards (I think I did at least) and I was talking about how much better he looks now compared to the days of the ICU, and how good it is that the machines are not there anymore, and that in October when we were there, we (with Zander) met his father, Todd was definitely giving some response that made me think that he actually does remember… hopefully soon we will be able to hear him tell all those things.. one thing before I go, in the afternoon the nurses had put the infamous shoes on Todd, so I guess one could say it was after all worth the effort!
Wish you all happy holidaysJ

UPDATE: Thanksgiving morning. While I was working on emails and apartment search, Yuksel ran off to do the grocery shopping. She returned with 1/2 a PUMPKIN PIE!!!!!! I am now having pie and coffee for breakfast….. such a simple and wonderful delight. Thank you Yuksel. Here I thought I would have to wait a very long time for pumpkin pie…… the world is full of sweet and tasty possibilities!

Yes we need to secure a private apartment or houseboat for Dec 13-Jan 15 (with an option to renew). Our lease here ends then, long story but the company that rented to us failed miserably and rented it out despite our clear requirements….but it will work out.